Allium macropetalum

What to Eat

Edible parts: Flowers, Leaves, Root, Bulb

The bulbs are edible raw or cooked with a typical onion taste, and can be dried and stored for winter use. North American Indians would singe the bulb to reduce its strong flavour before eating it fresh or drying it for later use. The leaves are edible raw or cooked and can be chopped for flavouring, though they are stringy. The showy flowers are also edible raw and can be added fresh to salads or cooked, and work well as a garnish on salads.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It grows naturally between 300 to 2100 metres in Arizona in South-western North America.

Mexico, North America, USA,

How to Identify

A bulbous perennial reaching 0.3 m (1 ft) tall. Hardy to UK zone 5. Hermaphroditic flowers pollinated by bees and insects. Grows in light sandy and medium loamy well-drained soils across mildly acidic to basic pH ranges. Requires full sun and prefers moist conditions.

How to Grow

Prefers a sunny position in a light well-drained soil. The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply. Most members of this genus are intolerant of competition from other growing plants. Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

Propagation: Sow seed in spring in a cold frame. Prick out seedlings into individual pots once large enough to handle — placing three plants per pot will produce clumps more quickly. Grow on in the greenhouse for at least the first winter, then plant out in spring once vigorous and large enough. For division, split plants in spring; they divide successfully at any point during the growing season. Pot divisions in a cold frame or greenhouse until established before planting out permanently.

Medicinal Uses

No specific medicinal uses have been recorded for this species, but members of this genus are generally considered healthy additions to the diet. They contain sulphur compounds responsible for their onion flavour, and regular consumption can help reduce blood cholesterol levels, act as a digestive tonic, and support the circulatory system.

Other Uses

The plant's juice can be used as a moth repellent. The whole plant is also said to repel insects and moles.

Allium macropetalum, the desert onion, is a species of wild onion native to the desert regions of southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is known from desert plains and hills in Sonora, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, at elevations up to 2500 m. Allium macropetalum forms egg-shaped bulbs up to 2.5 cm long. Flowers are bell-shaped, pink to purple, up to 12 mm across, with yellow or purple anthers.

Notes

There are about 300-700 Allium species. Most species of Allium are edible (Flora of China). All alliums are edible but they may not all be worth eating! They have also been put in the family Alliaceae.

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